A treatise on the method of curing the gout, scurvy, leprosy, elephantiasis, evil, and other cutaneous eruptions : shewing the rise and progress of those diseases, and by what medicines they may be cured illustrated by many cases extracted from the writings of the most eminent men of the faculty, and the author's own observations the whole interspersed with a variety of efficacious receipts, collected, and now published for the good of the public ... / by F. Spilsbury.

Spilsbury, Francis

Date:: [1775?]

Credit: A treatise on the method of curing the gout, scurvy, leprosy, elephantiasis, evil, and other cutaneous eruptions : shewing the rise and progress of those diseases, and by what medicines they may be cured illustrated by many cases extracted from the writings of the most eminent men of the faculty, and the author's own observations the whole interspersed with a variety of efficacious receipts, collected, and now published for the good of the public ... / by F. Spilsbury. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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[ 25- ] aromaticks, becaufe, by exagltating the blood and humours above meafure, they caufe their crafis to be more diflol'ved, and their corrup¬ tions to be driven more plentifully to the fkin; therefore the more fimple preparations of vi¬ pers, as broths of their flefh boiled in water, drinks impregnated with infufions of the fame, , and powders dried, are prescribed with more fuccefs againft this difeafe ; and likewife ovi¬ parous fnakes boiled, and eaten for ordinary food, give often great reliefs. A very i * I cannot help making a remark here, and exprefs my furprize, that Dr. Willis fhould fo ftrenuoufly recommend vipers for the care of this diforder, and never make any trial of the experiment in a cafe or two which he has left on re¬ cord, and where no expence was fpared, which I fhall pre- fently relate. Beyond all doubt he had read Galen’s two great cures of the Leprofy, each by a lingle viper. Viz. Some people being in a field making of hay, had fct their jug down, when coming to drink, perceived a viper had got in and was drowned ; imagining it was death to whoever tailed it, out of compaflion they gave the wine to a leper ; thinking, as his life mull be a burden, it would eafe him ; but, to the aflonifhment of the whole company, the perfon recovered. The other ftory is of a leper going to the baths for help, and flighted by a courtezan, he was defperately in love with : {he attempted to poifon him, by giving him wine in which a viper had been drowned ; but, as in the former cafe, what was intended for his death, proved the means of reftoring health.-Thefe two {lories deferves but little credit. And another cafe mentioned by Poterius, who faith, they jnuft be ufed a conflderable time before any benefit will accrue io the difeafed ; yet this Poterius, whilft he is decrying their virtues,

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